


I See The Moon

by Bizarra



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M, Lullabies Can Make You Cry, Melancholy fluff, Post-Endgame, Sort Of Babyfic In That a Baby is Present, free writing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26134384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bizarra/pseuds/Bizarra
Summary: Kathryn sings her son to sleep as she hopes his missing father finds the way home.
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 16
Kudos: 67





	I See The Moon

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Caladenia for the excellent Beta. This poor story needed it after I basically put cursor to blank page and just started typing.
> 
> The Lullaby this story is written around is a gorgeous one, this version of I See The Moon is sung by Mae Robertson. The Songwriter was Meredith Wilson. I strongly recommend listening to the song, as you read the story, as the cadence flows with the melody.

Kathryn Janeway, wife of Chakotay, daughter-in-law to Kolopak, sat in a rocking chair on the porch of the small home that had been communally built for her at the edge of the main village of Trebus. Once her life was settled and she was free of the chains of command, she’d moved to Dorvan to feel closer to Chakotay and to help redevelop the colony that the Cardassians had destroyed. Chakotay’s family had welcomed her with open arms and for that she was grateful. 

The land surrounding the single-level two-bedroom house was lush and invited landscaping, but she hadn’t had the energy nor the heart to do anything with it. Not until he was home. She hoped that it would be soon. She would wait. No matter how long, she would wait.

The babe she held fussed as he finished suckling. Kathryn hushed him lightly and wiped away a small dribble of milk from the corner of his mouth. She bent and pressed a kiss against the soft skin of the two-month old’s forehead, before laying him against her shoulder to ease the bubbles from his stomach. He cuddled into her neck as he usually did once comfortable. Kathryn smiled as she felt his hands gently grasping at her skin. 

The sun drew lower on the horizon, sending a beautiful spread of colors over the thinning clouds. Vivid oranges, reds, yellows and finally a deep maroon. She couldn’t get over the beauty of the sunsets on Dorvan. The ever present layer of dust that hung in the atmosphere since the invasion had at least one positive effect.

The puff of her son’s breath on her neck slowed as drowsiness took over. She lowered him into her arms and held him close. His dark brown eyes watched her, but they grew heavy and he fought sleep. She smiled at his stubbornness. A trait he’d acquired from both his parents. “Sleep my precious little Helaku,” she softly said and repeated the same words she’d told him every evening since he was born. “Maybe tomorrow will be the day your daddy comes home.”

Tears threatening, Kathryn watched the pinpricks of stars become visible as the sky darkened. She thought of Chakotay somewhere out there and prayed he’d come home to meet their son. 

A son who’d been conceived on the night Voyager had returned to Earth. The night they had married. 

Two days later, she’d received a letter from Chakotay, saying he’d gone to Dorvan to visit his sister. She hadn’t understood why he’d left without telling her. With a heavy heart she had attended her debriefs and tried to contact him to no avail.

One day she’d finally gotten through and spoke to Sekaya who informed her that she hadn’t talked to her brother since Voyager’s arrival to Earth. Kathryn immediately went to Owen Paris who promised to look into it, but that didn’t go very far. It seemed Starfleet had better things to do than seek a wayward former maquis. Owen had apologized profusely, but said Starfleet was effectively closing the door on any investigation into Chakotay’s disappearance.

After a month of debriefings was completed and still no answers regarding her husband’s disappearance, Kathryn had left Starfleet and began her own investigation, tirelessly searching until she’d collapsed from exhaustion. The Doctor hospitalized her when his examination revealed her pregnancy. In no uncertain terms he told her she needed to slow down, or she would lose the baby too.

A sob caught in her throat and she stopped it, not wanting Helaku to see her cry. He was such a happy baby that she never wanted him to hurt. It had been his sunny disposition that had prompted the tribal elders to give him his name. She accepted it proudly, as they had accepted her without question. 

Sekaya had taken Kathryn under her wing and Kathryn had in turn used her knowledge and experience to assist the colony’s people with their rebuilding. Several of her former Maquis crew eventually joined her in Trebus; angry with Starfleet’s inaction and not fitting in anywhere else. they all had a hand in helping to get the colony back on its feet.

Under the tutelage and sponsorship of Sekaya, Kathryn had been welcome in Chakotay’s tribe. After Laku's birth, she’d had her own naming ceremony. She was now known as Akuene. Peace. Kathryn had cried when she’d learned the meaning of the name. The elder had looked in her eyes and told her, “the spirits saw into your heart.”

The same elder had insisted she be given the eagle wing tattoo. “You left your life behind to endure the hardships of a colony world. You are mate to the only son of Kolopak, a former elder and spiritual guide. You are a part of our tribe, Akuene. You have earned the right to bear our mark.” And so she bore it proudly on her left brow and temple.

The half-moon shone brightly over the treetops. Kathryn looked down at the baby in her arms, now sleeping peacefully. She gently drifted a finger across his cheek, singing a cherished lullaby that her father had sung to her and Phoebe on those rare nights when he was home. 

_I see the moon, the moon sees me_  
_Shining through the old oak tree_  
_Please let the light that shines on me_  
_Shine on the one I love_

The sound of footsteps on the front path interrupted her. When she looked up, she couldn't stop her cry.

She was dreaming, she had to be. Her vision clouded as tears flooded her eyes. She blinked, trying to clear her sight, before gently setting the baby down in the infant carrier she’d left by the rocker.

She was in Chakotay’s arms before she realized she had run to him. He held her as tightly as she held him. He was thin, much too thin. Wherever he had been, it had been hard on him. Together they cried until their tears were spent. Then Kathryn took Chakotay’s hand and introduced him to his son.

—

The sun rose the next morning, spilling light across the bed and waking its occupants. They spoke of their separation. Starfleet had fully pardoned the Maquis and offered them commissions, but an admiral who had been secretly married to a Cardassian woman killed during a Maquis raid had managed to turn a few of the more zealous brass to his side. His lackeys had managed to capture Chakotay one evening after a debriefing session and had sent him to Rura Penthe, the former Klingon mining prison, now a forgotten planet that still carried a small population of ex-prisoners.

He never would have been found were it not for a passing freighter pilot who’d recognized him and subsequently helped to get him back to Earth. The vengeful Admiral had been arrested and was now imprisoned at the New Zealand Penal Settlement in Auckland. Starfleet had apologized and made restitution by immediately giving Chakotay passage to Dorvan to reunite with his wife and surviving family. 

Chakotay had been surprised to hear Kathryn had resigned and left Earth, and even more to learn where she’d gone. He too shed a tear when she told of her adoption by his tribe and her naming ceremony. He traced her tattoo on her face and made love to her in the early morning sunlight.

When Laku woke up, the family walked into the village, so Chakotay could meet with his sister and be properly welcomed home.

That night found both Chakotay and Akuene, son and daughter-in-law of Kolopak, on their front porch, the moon shining high overhead as together they sang to their son.

_Over the mountain, over the sea_  
_That’s where my heart is longing to be_  
_Please let the light that shines on me_  
_Shine on the one I love_


End file.
